Father, after our blood donations yesterday, we both seem to be dragging. It’s to be expected but I would ask that You spur me on, that I might be attentive to You in our time together. Amen.
Luke 9:52-56 (<<click to read the passage)
So, how is your patellar reflex? I’d say mine is fine…and yours probably is, too. At some point in time, we’ve probably all had it tested. Your doctor has you sit on the edge of the bed and taps right below your kneecap. MedicineNet describes it this way.
The normal knee-jerk…reflex is elicited when the knee is tapped below the kneecap (patella). Sensors that detect stretching of the tendon of this area send electrical impulses back to the spinal cord. The spinal cord automatically sends a signal back along a nerve to muscles of the front of the thigh. These muscles are then activated to contract, causing a kick. The brain is never involved in the reflex.
I read that definition and literally laughed out loud at the last sentence! The brain is never involved in the reflex. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a knee-jerk reaction as a quick reaction that does not allow you time to consider something carefully. In other words, the brain is never involved!
A few days back I referred to the incident in today’s passage. Jesus and His disciples were coming up on a Samaritan village and Jesus sent messengers ahead to…prepare for His arrival. The villagers were less than hospitable and when James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up [as Elijah did]?”
(A quick little side note, the phrase “as Elijah did” does not appear in all the original texts that Bible translators use when translating this passage. An additional portion that bridges verses 55 and 56 is the same way. But I must say it makes a strong point and strengthens Jesus’ response.)
James and John’s reply was no sooner out of their mouths when Jesus turned and rebuked them. And then this is the added portion,

And he said, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges has an interesting commentary of this passage. In essence, the author said that eventually, the disciples learned that the spirit of Jesus was the spirit of the dove; and that there is a difference between Carmel and Hermon.
The analogy is cool, and I don’t want to leave you hanging as to what it means. I’ll try and make it short. Mt. Carmel is the location of one of the great stories of the Old Testament. The “prophets” of the false god Baal basically had a duel with God’s prophet Elijah. They had called all day for their so-called god, to consume their ritual sacrifice. Of course, nothing happened; except that Elijah laughed and made fun of them. This was in the middle of years of drought and when Elijah’s turn came up, he had his sacrifice doused in water three times so that everything was thoroughly soaked through and even the trench around the altar was full of water. He prayed one short prayer and fire fell from heaven consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench! (Read the whole story here, it’s awesome! >> 1 Kings 18:16-45)
That’s where James and John got the fire idea, but Jesus realized that they had absolutely no idea – yet – what He was all about.
Now, what is Hermon? Tradition holds that that’s where Jesus’ transfiguration took place and remember James and John, just a short time ago, were there with Jesus.
When Jesus said, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like.” the commentator says in today’s language, that their hearts were more like Elijah’s and not nearly enough like that of Jesus.
So, what does this all have to do with us? Would you not agree that if there was ever a knee-jerk society, it is the one in which we live? How often do we respond (retaliate is more like it!) and our brain is never involved! Our mouths are engaged long before our brains! As we strive to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, may we also strive to not destroy people’s lives, but to save them”!

May 5th, 2020, Tues, 6:19 pm